Taylor Fergen and Megan Branstetter scored 20 points apiece, but it was a full team effort that helped the Lady Tigers pull away from Nixa for their fourth consecutive district title. After a back-and-forth start, Republic took control early in the second quarter and maintained their cushion the rest of the way.
In the opening quarter, it was the senior, Fergen, who took control. Fergen scored eight of Republic’s 13 points, weaving through Nixa’s defenders to get to the basket. In the second quarter, Branstetter did the same thing — scoring seven points thanks to her aggressiveness off the dribble. Nixa’s vaunted three-point shooting, which had been hot and cold all year, never materialized. The Lady Eagles made three treys in the first half to keep the game close — 27-22 at the break — but only made one in the second half.
Republic’s defense held Nixa to just six points in the third quarter as the Lady Tigers stretched their lead to 38-28, and Branstetter’s big fourth quarter at the free throw line helped put the game away.
Coach Kris Flood says the district title is rewarding after a season that dealt the Lady Tigers a lot of ups and downs.
“We did enough to earn that top seed,” he says. “At the beginning, both teams looked like they were tight. It seemed like they were missing some easy shots. started fairly quick, and we tried to emphasize that if they did that, you have to try to conserve that energy and get back the momentum. We did that.”
Flood credits the contributions of the entire roster, up and down the lineup, beyond the two top scorers.
“We had a lot of kids step up tonight. They put in some key minutes because we had some early foul trouble. Avy and Branstetter had a nice game. Halli hit a big three when we needed it. I thought McGuire did a good job. She gives you quality minutes,” Flood says. “I thought in the second half, Fergen did her thing and Allyson Barrett did some stuff that might not show up. She was very aggressive taking it to the basket and getting some rebounds. When it’s like that, when you get those contributions, it’s going to help, and I think that’s why it ended up the way it was.”
The win was the 17th of the season for Republic. The Lady Tigers will be playing in the state sectionals for the fourth straight year. They’ll be looking for a trip to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. But the road to the quarters will go through Branson, who knocked off Kickapoo for the District 11 title. The Lady Pirates beat Republic twice earlier this season. Flood says the Lady Tigers will know what’s coming.
“We know we’re going to see that little matchup zone. We know what they can do offensively with Amanda Kearney—and not just Kearney, but they’ve got a couple of other kids. Hopefully we can get the tables turned and see what happens. At least we can say we’re in a spot to have that chance. There’s 14 other teams that would like to say that at this point,” Flood says.
Branson and Republic will play next Wednesday at 7:45 pm at the O’Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University.
Scoring
Megan Branstetter 20, Taylor Fergen 20, Brylee Manes 8, Allyson Barrett 6, Halli Bartelsmeyer 5, Avy Powell-Qualo 3
Find out how you can get $25 worth of free photos as a subscriber to Republic Tiger Sports magazine. Sign up now, before this offer runs out!
Player of the Game
Taylor Fergen got things going for the Lady Tigers and Megan Branstetter finshed things off. Fergen scored eight points in the 1st quarter and Branstetter scored 11 in the 4th quarter, all on free throws. They each finished with 20 points, and they are co-Coldwell Banker Players of the Game.
Our Lady Tiger Player of the Game honor is sponsored by the Tricia Phelps team at Coldwell Banker, eager to help you own your own home. Check out their website – TriciaPhelpsTeam.com – to find out more about how you can stop paying your landlord’s mortgage and become a homeowner yourself.
